Betrayal

The Fire Ants' skulls were extremely hard, and Mu Sheng's technique was clumsy. By the time he had collected six monster cores containing fire elemental energy, Dongfang Wanyu had already slaughtered a whole swath of them.

Mu Sheng began to suspect that, at his speed, he was certain to be eliminated after three days.

But that was no longer his immediate concern.

After slaughtering a large number of second-level Fire Ant Magic Beasts, Dongfang Wanyu immediately led him away.

"Why are we leaving so fast?" Mu Sheng struggled. He actually wanted to kill a couple more. It was rare to encounter magic beasts that offered no resistance, and he did not want to give up this chance.

Dongfang Wanyu said, "Shut up. Someone's coming."

After they left, a small team of five suddenly appeared. "Someone slaughtered these second-level magic beasts. We're a step too late."

The five approached the Fire Ant corpses to inspect them and discovered two entirely different methods reflected in their wounds. One was extremely brutal: a barehanded punch had smashed the Fire Ant's skull, then its energy core had been gouged out. The other method looked decidedly inexperienced, apparently using some sharp weapon to cut open the skull.

"Two people."

"Two people killed this many second-level magic beasts? That's so cool." One of them could not resist whistling.

Dongfang Wanyu checked the number on her jade token and gave a mocking chuckle. "Let's keep going."

Mu Sheng could have Little White release poisonous mist ten times a day. They specifically targeted groups of magic beasts, sweeping all before them and slaughtering large numbers of first- through third-level beasts.

Their numbers shot upward. Even Mu Sheng's reached five hundred. In the top three announced an hour earlier, Dongfang Wanyu's name was already on the list: third place, 1,093, only two hundred behind first place.

Mu Sheng admired Dongfang Wanyu enough to prostrate himself before her, but right now, he felt close to death. She hunted down and killed magic beasts day and night without stopping, as though she did not know what exhaustion was.

He was different. He could barely lift his sword arm now.

"Don't you need to rest?" Unable to walk any farther, Mu Sheng leaned against a large tree and panted.

Dongfang Wanyu nudged him with her foot. "Get up. The last twenty-four hours are when the real struggle begins. I already let you rest earlier."

Mu Sheng rolled his eyes. They had only rested for a few hours.

But as he watched her gradually walk away, he quickly scrambled up and staggered after her.

"You're already third. Why are you still pushing yourself so hard?" Mu Sheng could not understand. If anyone should be anxious, it was him. He only had five hundred.

"Shut up. Save your strength for killing magic beasts."

Afterward, they encountered a wave of magic beasts. Perhaps something was chasing them; they fled in panic, scattering chaotically in every direction.

"Wow, so many magic beasts! Should we have Little White release poisonous mist?" Mu Sheng had become very practiced at this. Seeing a herd of magic beasts no longer frightened him so much. Instead, he felt a little excited. The experience had honed his courage.

Dongfang Wanyu shook her head. Anything that could frighten a herd of third-level magic beasts this badly was either a sacred beast or a magic beast at least two levels above them.

"Two Sixth-Level Magic Beasts are approaching from a hundred meters away. Find somewhere to hide, quickly," Qing Mo warned.

A Sixth-Level Magic Beast was equivalent to a human Spirit Lord. That was no Great Spirit Master's realm, but a rank three levels above it.

Dongfang Wanyu immediately grabbed Mu Sheng and ran. She could barely handle a Great Spirit Master, but taking on a Spirit Lord? Ha. Only if she had a death wish.

"Did something happen?" Dragged by his back collar, Mu Sheng nearly choked to death. Seeing her lips pressed tight, however, he instinctively asked.

Dongfang Wanyu followed the magic beasts as they scattered, with no idea where she had ended up. But when she sensed her surroundings, she found no magic beasts with powerful energy fluctuations.

"With Sixth-Level Magic Beasts appearing, the danger has increased. Your assessment will probably end early," Qing Mo judged.

Dongfang Wanyu nodded. They were all new students. However talented they might be, they were still only Spirit Masters or Great Spirit Masters. They could not handle two Sixth-Level Magic Beasts.

Even if all five hundred students attacked together, they could not defeat those two.

Mu Sheng gulped for air. "Did something happen just now?"

"Yes. The competition will probably end early. How many magic beasts have you killed?" Dongfang Wanyu suddenly asked.

"Around 536." Mu Sheng was used to her cold manner, so her suddenly gentle tone felt unfamiliar. Then he asked in surprise, "How do you know the competition's about to end? Aren't there still ten hours left?"

Dongfang Wanyu did not explain. She nudged him with her foot. "Come on. Let's help you raise that number a little more."

They headed south, passing through a dense forest where many Gale Rabbits hid in tree hollows. Dongfang Wanyu took a porcelain bottle from her storage space and sprinkled the medicine over the grass outside, making a complete circle.

"Seventh Sister, this is definitely good stuff. It's called Flower-Condensing Dew Pills. Don't let the pretty name fool you-it's really just bait for gluttons. It's a folk remedy I developed myself, especially for rabbits. If you ever can't find anything to eat, sprinkle a circle outside a tree hollow. I bet plenty of silly rabbits will fall into your net."

Dongfang Wanyu's lips curved into a smile. She still remembered Ninth Sister saying that to her. She just did not know how effective the medicine would be.

Mu Sheng looked at her in confusion. "What does that do?"

Dongfang Wanyu gestured for silence. They crouched nearby for almost an hour before Gale Rabbits, their eyes gleaming red, began darting out of the tree hollows and into the trap she had prepared. Even after one fell for it, the others stupidly kept hopping inside. Before long, they had gathered into a herd.

Mu Sheng stared dumbfounded. How could such stupid little creatures exist among magic beasts?

"Have Little White use the finishing move!" Seeing him still gawking, Dongfang Wanyu could not resist kicking him.

"Oh, right!"

He had almost forgotten they were here to hunt magic beasts. Mu Sheng immediately summoned his little companion. "Little White, go!"

Little White crouched upwind, shook its head, and vigorously spread poisonous smoke. Soon, the Gale Rabbits sniffed the air and succumbed one after another, collapsing in a great swath.

"Move quickly." Dongfang Wanyu kicked Mu Sheng squarely in the backside.

Although Mu Sheng did not know why she was in such a hurry, he obediently drew his sword and extracted the energy cores from their heads one by one.

The pale green energy cores were quite pretty, but they were only first-level wind cores, which he had no use for at present. He put them into his storage ring.

His jade token kept chiming, meaning his number was steadily rising. Just as he was about to finish, the chimes abruptly stopped.

"Greetings, students. I am your examiner, and I have an announcement. Due to an unexpected incident during the assessment, the elders of the Examination Council have unanimously agreed to end the competition early. All candidates, listen carefully. Put aside all nonessential matters and leave the trial grounds immediately."

The voice came from somewhere unknown and repeated the announcement three times. Every student in the trial grounds heard it clearly.

Mu Sheng was dumbstruck. Dongfang Wanyu had predicted this two hours earlier, which was why she had raced against time to help him complete his task.

"Let's go."

The first elimination round, scheduled to last three days, ended under abnormal circumstances.

Mu Sheng looked at the final number on his jade token, 687, and grinned foolishly. Three days ago, he would never have believed he could kill so many magic beasts.

"Qian Wanyu, thank you so much for this."

Dongfang Wanyu waved a hand. "Don't celebrate too soon."

According to the previous rules, everyone ranked below two hundred in the number of magic beasts killed would be eliminated. When the results were announced, Mu Sheng stood to one side and watched nervously, both apprehensive and afraid.

He was apprehensive because, if he passed, how would he get through the second round? He was afraid because he had struggled so hard for three days, growing from someone who knew nothing about magic beasts into someone who could expertly dismantle their heads. That, too, had been an experience of growth.

"Congratulations." Dongfang Wanyu patted his shoulder, startling Mu Sheng out of his wandering thoughts.

"Congratulations for what?"

Dongfang Wanyu pointed at the 168th entry on the screen: Mu Sheng of the Wood Hall.

Mu Sheng's heart finally settled. He jumped up happily. "Wow! I finally did it!"

Then he searched carefully again and found Qian Wanyu's name in third place, listed under the Lightning Hall. "Sister Wanyu, you're amazing."

She had said third, and third it was. Mu Sheng still remembered how arrogantly she had declared it. He had not quite believed her then, but now she had thoroughly won him over.

Once his excitement faded, Mu Sheng realized that every part of him ached and every part of him was exhausted. He really wanted to rest.

"Having seen your results on the screen, everyone ranked below two hundred, step forward." A large crowd silently stepped out. They were the ones eliminated in the first round.

Mu Sheng covered his mouth. He felt he had come close to being one of them.

"All of you, stand to my left. An examiner will escort you out shortly."

"Next, congratulations on passing the first elimination round and successfully entering the second assessment. I am your examiner, Ouyang. You may call me Teacher Ouyang. I will now explain the rules for the second round. Beginning now, I will place five spirit stones in each of your jade tokens. Spirit stones will play a crucial role in your future lives. They are a medium of exchange: you can trade them for spiritual medicines, use them to enter the Ivory Tower to cultivate, and much, much more... Here, I only wish to say that spirit stones are essential to your survival. Like the first round, the second assessment will weed out the weak and reward the strong. Those holding the most spirit stones will advance. However, students one year above you will be inside the trial grounds, and they will seize your spirit stones. Once all five spirit stones in your jade token have been taken, if you fail to seize any from someone else within two hours and your balance remains zero, you will be eliminated immediately."

Open robbery. The entire crowd erupted.

Mu Sheng was somewhat dazed after hearing the rules. Looking at the groups of new students around him, fierce as wolves and tigers, he edged fearfully closer to Dongfang Wanyu.

"They won't rob me, will they?"

"They might."

Dongfang Wanyu looked at him with a bright smile, then at the jade token in his hand.

By the time everyone entered the trial grounds, they had formed new teams.

Dongfang Wanyu had intended to shake off Mu Sheng and enter alone, but he shamelessly clung to her, putting on a pitiful look that reminded her of Ninth Sister. She felt a little guilty at the thought of leaving him behind.

"Sister Wanyu, do you think those senior students will hide somewhere and ambush us?" Mu Sheng's little head worked quite quickly. Ever since the examiner announced that the students a year above them would rob them, he had felt no sense of security.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at him. "Definitely. But if they rob anyone, it'll probably be you."

The students trickled into the trial grounds. Before long, Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng encountered students who had already been robbed by their seniors.

"Help! Is anyone there?"

A large group shouted for help. Teams of five had been tied together with branches, bound into tangled clusters.

Dongfang Wanyu continued on her way as though she had heard and seen nothing.

"They seem to be calling for help. Sister Wanyu, should we go take a look?"

"Sure. You can go have a look."

Did that mean she agreed? Mu Sheng thought for a moment, then eagerly ran over.

"Oh, Mu Sheng! Come help untie us!"

Looking at the five, Mu Sheng recognized one of them. "Xiao Ruo, why are you here?"

They had entered the Royal Academy around the same time and were both new students recruited by the Wood Hall. They had met during the first assessment when asking for directions, so naturally their relationship was a little closer than that of ordinary fellow students.

At least, that was what Mu Sheng had always thought.

"A team of senior students robbed us just now, then tied us up afterward," Xiao Ruo said pitifully.

As Mu Sheng untied them, he said, "Then you need to be more careful next time. Don't run into them again."

"Mu Sheng, are you alone?" Xiao Ruo asked casually.

Naturally, Mu Sheng shook his head. But he wondered why Sister Wanyu had gone completely quiet. Looking behind him, he found no trace of Dongfang Wanyu and immediately understood the real meaning of her earlier "Sure."

"Looks like I am now." Mu Sheng was terribly dejected. He had not expected Sister Wanyu to leave just like that.

The five exchanged meaningful looks. One suddenly stepped forward and subdued him, then they picked up the branches he had just untied and bound his hands behind his back.

Mu Sheng was utterly bewildered. "What are you doing? Why are you tying me up?"

Xiao Ruo stood before him with guilt written all over her face. "Mu Sheng, I'm really sorry. But the rules said that if our jade tokens still have zero spirit stones after two hours, we'll be eliminated. You happen to have five in yours. Give us one each, and we won't be eliminated."

Mu Sheng was speechless. So I have to be eliminated instead?

"Xiao Ruo, why waste so many words on him? Even if he doesn't hand them over now, he'll still be eliminated when he runs into those jackal-like seniors later. Hurry up and take his spirit stones."

Mu Sheng looked completely stunned. He felt this dark world deal him ten thousand points of damage.

The five took his spirit stones and immediately disappeared.

Mu Sheng wanted to cry but had no tears. He had finally tasted what it meant to be a good person. What hurt even more was that his little companion had actually told him to stay put, saying someone would come collect him in two hours.

"Boo-hoo... What do I do? I don't want to be eliminated!"

He had worked so hard for so long and finally fought his way from five hundred people into the top two hundred. The second round had barely begun, and he would be eliminated in less than two hours. He could not accept it.

"Waaah! Sister Wanyu!"

Mu Sheng sobbed while repeatedly calling Qian Wanyu's name.

"You're so noisy. What are you yelling for?"

Dongfang Wanyu hurled a piece of fruit straight at his face, splattering it with pulp.

"Sister Wanyu!" Mu Sheng had looked as though life held nothing more for him, but when he saw her lying in the tree, he immediately grinned foolishly. "Sister Wanyu, you haven't left after all."

Dongfang Wanyu threw another piece of fruit at him. Even though it struck him squarely, Mu Sheng did not get angry. He grinned foolishly and even licked the pulp off his face.

"Rest for two hours."

Mu Sheng grew even more desperate. "Sister Wanyu, I was wrong. Please untie me!"

If I rest for two hours, I'll be eliminated!

Dongfang Wanyu gave him a cold glance. "Weren't you the one who wanted to free them?"

Mu Sheng nodded guiltily. "I thought-"

"You thought you were saving people. Did they thank you? The examiner explained the rules so clearly. Do you still not understand? You need to guard against even your fellow disciples, let alone strangers."

Dongfang Wanyu had already experienced all manner of vicious schemes firsthand in the Dongfang Family. That was why she had made herself so cold and ruthless.

Mu Sheng lowered his head and murmured, "I was wrong. I'm sorry, Sister Wanyu."

In fact, she had been sitting in the tree watching the show all along. She could have intervened, but to grow, a person had to taste deception and betrayal. Only then would he remember that pain.

Mu Sheng added, "Sister Wanyu, please untie me. I promise that next time I see them, I'll take back everything they stole from me."

"You? Seize spirit stones from them?"

Dongfang Wanyu jumped down from the tree and smilingly patted his face. "If I release you, won't you come rob me of my spirit stones? Do I look stupid to you?"

Mu Sheng was completely dumbfounded. How could he-how would he dare-steal her spirit stones?

"Sister Wanyu, stop joking. Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare target you." Mu Sheng was almost ready to swear to the heavens, if his hands had not been tied.

But Dongfang Wanyu merely waved and walked away.

She left. Left. Left... Mu Sheng thought, feeling that life held nothing more for him.